Liar, Liar, Robes on Fire
by cr8vgrl
Summary: Hermione is trying to "make everyone's lives easier," but it's causing her to lie more and more. When a potion goes wrong for Fred, he find out her true feelings for him and teaches her an important lesson about lying to the ones she loves.


**A/N: Here you go, guys! To those who have requested another oneshot, I really hope you enjoy this. You can either count me as being really late, or really, really early for Christmas!! I own nothing, but the plot is thanks to Sweetheart in the Corner. Hope I did it justice!! :D**

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She could have flooed to the Burrow. In reality, she probably _should_ have, but Hermione had wanted to enjoy the sights and smells of the winter wonderland that the wizarding world offered her. She wanted to enjoy the way the snow glistened as the sun struck it, appearing like millions of dazzling crystals. She wanted to breathe in the crisp, cold air that whooshed through the snow-burdened trees all around her.

"Hermione Jean Granger, you are _such_ a liar," she muttered aloud, shaking a bit of snow out of her curls.

"So the great Hermione Granger finally admits it!" someone exclaimed, startling Hermione and making her left hand unconsciously reach for her wand.

She finally identified the speaker and rolled her eyes as she found Fred Weasley leaning casually against a tree behind her, watching her with his unusually perceptive blue eyes. "You don't even know what I'm talking about, Fred Weasley," she said indignantly, lifting her chin slightly and narrowing her eyes. She grimly ignored the sharp pang his words gave her.

He shrugged in that maddeningly casual, almost flippant, way that he and his infuriating twin brother had adopted and pushed himself away from the tree to join her. "I'm going to guess that it has something to do with the delightful announcement that Harry and Ginny are going to make tonight." He watched, amused, as her face paled. "Ah, so I'm right!" He smirked. "Good for me."

"Would you like a pat on the back?" Hermione growled, annoyed that he had guessed so quickly. Was she not as good at hiding her emotions as she had thought?

"If you'd like," he told her with a smile, turning to face her while continuing to walk. "You don't have to though. It sounds like you're rather sore on the subject, and I really don't want you taking out your frustration on my poor back."

"I am _not_ sore," she muttered, having to work hard to resist crossing her arms petulantly.

"Yes you are."

Hermione glared at him. "No, I'm not," she fumed. _"Liar, Liar, pants on fire!"_ the old rhyme chimed inside of her head.

Fred smirked and whirled on her, stopping her forward progress. His body pressed close to hers and he dipped his head down to accommodate their height differences. "Yes," he breathed out, his breath coming out in a visible puff before it disappeared into the chilly afternoon. "Yes you are."

A jolt ran up Hermione's spine at his nearness, and she forced herself not to shiver as she nimbly stepped around him. "I'm not sore," she told him again. "Perhaps I'm rather reluctant to be happy for them, but I'm _not_, under _any_ circumstances, sore." She tossed a look over her shoulder as she kept walking and she found Fred grinning at her as he jogged to catch her.

"And why are you so reluctant?" he asked in that maddeningly sweet way he seemed to be using more and more often when he addressed her.

"_Should I tell him that I don't want Harry to marry his sister simply because I'll then have to move away from him?"_ she thought sarcastically. _"Maybe I should tell him that I, the great war hero, am terrified of being alone all the time? Or perhaps, Hermione, you should tell Fred that you're in love with him and you're worried about not getting enough excuses to see him as often now that Harry won't be dragging you to the Burrow to keep Ginny's brothers occupied while he goes out and snogs her."_

"Hermione?" Fred asked, startling her out of her sarcastic train of thought. When she looked up, she found him staring at her strangely, but then she realized that she must have taken a long time to answer his question.

"I just think they might be rushing things too much," she responded easily. _"You are such a liar, Hermione Jean,"_ she mentally growled at herself. _"Is this how you justify lying? You're 'making everyone else's life easier.' Idiot!"_

Fred cocked an eyebrow at her, but continued to match her brisk pace. "I see," he murmured. "Yes, five years is definitely too short of a courtship. You're absolutely right."

It was only during this maddeningly snide comment that Hermione noticed something. "Fred," she began.

"Hmm?"

"Where's George?" She looked around again, but saw no sign of the other redheaded prankster. Surely Fred wasn't keeping her occupied while George prepared a prank to play on her…right?

"He's at the Burrow," Fred answered. "Frankly, I think he's an idiot. When mum finds out that Harry's proposed, she's going to scream her head off and probably start crying." He shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I thought I'd make myself scarce and come look for you."

"_I'm glad you did."_ Hermione's eyes narrowed. "So that's all I am to you? An easy out? Thanks a lot, Fred. Way to make a girl feel appreciated."

The left side of his mouth quirked into a smile. "You're very appreciated, Hermione. Very appreciated indeed."

Hermione had no response for that, so she continued walking in silence with Fred until they reached the Burrow. Sure enough, they found Mrs. Weasley scurrying around, trying to hug everyone within reach. Harry and Ginny stood by the floo, not having gotten any further into the room, grimacing. As soon as she saw them, Hermione felt another stabbing pain shoot through her chest. She was actually going to be left alone.

Ginny took their arrival as a chance to make a dash for Hermione. "Oh, isn't it wonderful?" she cried happily, showing Hermione her ring.

Hermione grinned. "I'm so happy for you," she said with a gleeful face. _"Liar, liar, pants on fire!"_ "When's the wedding going to be?"

"Right after Christmas!" Molly Weasley chimed in excitedly. Ginny just sighed.

"We hope that it'll be rather soon," Ginny said as her mother scurried away to hug Fred. She glanced nervously at Hermione, and it was only then that Hermione realized what was causing the hesitancy.

"Oh don't worry about me!" Hermione said cheerily. "I've already started looking for a new place." _"Ugh, Hermione. You're such a liar."_

"Oh that's not what I meant!" Ginny exclaimed. "You're welcome to stay with us, of course!"

Hermione shook her head. "That's very sweet, Gin, but I wouldn't dream of staying with you two as a married couple." She squeezed Ginny's arm comfortingly. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Though, I might drop in every now and then."

"I would hex you if you didn't," Ginny teased, moving away to receive well wishes from the rest of her family.

"Couldn't help overhearing," Fred said as he slid up next to her, "but where are you going to stay in the meantime?"

Hermione shrugged. "I have a few options in mind," she told him. _"Idiot,"_ she hissed mentally. _"You have only one option, and you __**know**__ why you can't stay there. It's Christmas. The twins will be popping in all the time, and you won't be able to stop yourself one time from doing something stupid!"_

"You should stay here at the Burrow!" Fred exclaimed, breaking through her thoughts. "George and I'll be around, and so will everyone else, so you won't be lonely!"

"_No! This is exactly what I was trying to avoid! I can't spend the whole Christmas weekend with you!"_ "I-I," she stuttered aloud.

"Great!" Fred exclaimed. "I'll go tell mum. She'll be delighted!" And then he was gone, bounding through the crowd, and Hermione knew she was doomed. She watched him speak urgently to his mother, and then hurry over to his twin. As they bent their heads together and nodded eagerly, Hermione closed her eyes.

Yes, she was doomed.

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Three days later, the Burrow was a flurry of activity as everyone raced around, wishing everyone else a happy Christmas morning. Hermione descended the steps, rubbing her eyes sleepily. She had spent these last three days stressfully listening to Molly chatter away about the wedding, watching Fred and George come up with some new prank, and listening to Percy and Arthur discuss new regulations in the Ministry. And between sweetly directing all of the Weasleys' inquiries about what she wanted for Christmas onto another topic and making sure that at least five feet stayed between her and Fred at all times, she was exhausted.

Fred jumped up from where he and George were seated on the couch and came to stand in front of her. "You don't look so well, Hermione," he observed. "Are you alright?"

"_No."_ "Absolutely. I'm fine, thanks," she managed before a yawn stole across her features.

Fred frowned. "Let me get you some tea," he offered.

Hermione was too tired to think straight, so she just nodded and moved to take a seat next to George, who smiled widely at her. When Fred brought her a mug of tea, she took it gratefully. "Thanks," she said as she sipped the hot liquid, missing the glances the twins exchanged.

"Everyone's here?" Molly asked, scanning the room. When she was satisfied, she started passing out gifts from under the tree.

As each person took turns unwrapping their presents, Hermione leaned back against the back of the couch. When it was her turn, she turned her gaze to the presents in front of her, trying to decide which one to open first. "Choices, choices," she murmured, causing some in the room to chuckle.

"You wouldn't tell us what you wanted for Christmas," Molly told her, attempting to be stern, "so we had to guess."

"I'm sure it's perfect," Hermione assured her, picking up a package. _"Please, please don't be a sweater. She always makes mine in this awful brown color. It makes me even more unattractive than I already am."_

Fred's hands tightened on the couch next to her.

She opened the package and smiled widely, pulling out the deep brown sweater with an 'H' on the front. "Thank you so much, Molly!" she said happily. "I needed a new one!" _"Liar, liar, pants on fire!"_

Molly grinned widely as well. "You're most welcome, dear. Ron, you next."

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And so the day went on. Hermione came out with the sweater, four books, and a package of new quills. Yet, nothing was what she truly wanted. She looked up and found Fred sitting next to Ginny, obviously teasing her since her ears had turned almost as red as her hair. _"I wish we could talk to each other like that,"_ Hermione thought. _"I always seem to either lie my way out, or get defensive. He probably thinks that I hate him."_

With a sigh, she stood and made her way into the kitchen to set the table for dinner. She bit her lip as she set Fred and George's places, wishing that she was different so that they would talk to her more. They probably thought that she was the high-strung, stuck up, stick-in-the-mud that she used to be. "Brilliant," she muttered angrily.

"Something wrong?" someone asked. "Aside from the fact that you've put the fork next to the spoon, that is?"

Hermione turned, startled, and found Fred standing there watching her. "Oops," she said lightly, switching the fork and the knife. "Thanks."

Fred smiled and then shoved his hands into his pockets. "Got time for a walk?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, ignoring her resolve to not go anywhere with Fred alone. It was just too tempting. "Let me get my coat."

Fred followed her to the coat rack and then surprised her by helping her into the coat before opening the door and motioning her outside. They tramped through the snow, walking in comfortable silence until Fred asked, "So have you enjoyed yourself?"

Hermione nodded. "Immensely," she told him confidently. Immediately, the seat of her robes burst into flames and she gasped. As quickly as they came, the flames disappeared, leaving her robes unharmed. Her astonished eyes met Fred's pleased ones and she gasped out, "Wh-what was that?"

Fred slung his arm around her shoulders and motioned for her to keep walking. "That, my dear, was a new invention that George and I've created," he told her. "Actually, you were the amazing brains behind the operation."

Hermione stared up at him. "What are you talking about?" she asked, still looking over her shoulder to make sure that her robes were still intact.

"See, we were experimenting one day and, well, the potion kind of blew up," Fred told her, sounding amused. "It exploded all over me, but it turned out that I could hear people's thoughts because of it. So when I met you that day, I listened to your thoughts."

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and stared up at him in horror. If he had been listening to her thoughts, he would have known every single thing that she thought about him! "You didn't!" she moaned.

Fred grinned. "I did. And that was when I found out just what a little liar you were, Miss Granger." He brushed his hand over her cheek, startling Hermione, and then continued. "Your little saying that you kept muttering in your head struck me with a brilliant idea, and so you see that you are the second victim of Liar, Liar, Robes on Fire."

"S-second?" Hermione stuttered, trying to process everything he was saying.

"I tested it on George first," Fred told her. "Found out where my favorite shirt went, too. I refused to let him test it on you first. Couldn't have him damaging you before I even got a chance to kiss you."

Hermione whirled on him. "What?" she squeaked.

Fred rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, Hermione! After what I heard? Are you really going to deny that you're in love with me?"

"I-I'm not," Hermione said before she could even think. Her robes once again burst into flames and she glared. "Why does it keep doing that?"

"Because you keep lying to me!" Fred exclaimed. "Every time you lie to me, the serum I put into your tea makes your robes burst into flames."

Hermione gulped. She was caught. She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin defiantly. "So what are you going to do?" she asked challengingly. "Humiliate me?"

Fred gazed at her. "You think that little of me?" he asked.

"Yes."

Her robes burst into flames.

"Ugh! Would you please make them stop that?" she asked.

Fred grinned. "It'll wear off sooner or later," he told her. "We haven't quite figured out how long the serum lasts, but by _all _means, keep lying to me, and we'll find out." The hard edge in his voice surprised Hermione, and made her duck her head as they walked.

"What do you want to know?" she asked quietly, obediently.

Fred gazed at her for a moment before asking, "Why didn't you tell Harry and Ginny about your fears? I'm sure they would've understood."

Hermione let out a dry laugh, knowing that it was no good to try and cover up the truth anymore. "What would I tell them, Fred? I'm a grown woman, and I'm afraid to be left by myself. I'm terrified that everyone'll forget about me."

"That's not true!" Fred exclaimed. "Everyone loves you, Hermione!"

"I know," she murmured. She sighed. "I guess I've just gotten very good at making everyone else's life worry-free."

"Do you really think that brown makes you unattractive?" Fred asked quietly. Hermione stared at him, so he explained, "The mishap potion wore off this morning."

"Well, yes," she answered, relieved that her robes didn't burst into flames again. "It's just so drab and plain, kind of like me."

"You're _far_ from drab and plain," Fred told her.

Hermione brushed his statement off. "Is there something else you wanted to know?" she asked.

Fred stopped walking and turned to face her. "Yes," he said, stepping very close. "Why didn't you tell me that you loved me?"

Hermione tried to step away, but he stepped with her. "I was afraid," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was afraid that you would laugh at me, and that things would never be the same between us."

Without a word, Fred pulled her close, lowering his head to hers as he captured her cold lips with his own, kissing her almost feverishly as he tried to show her just how much he loved her as well. Hands found hips and shoulders and hair, and Hermione pressed herself up onto her tiptoes in order to get closer to Fred as he ran his fingers through her hair. When he pulled away breathlessly, Fred smiled down at her. "I would never laugh at you, and just for the record, I don't think that you're a stick-in-the-mud."

Hermione's cheeks tinged pink and she laughed. "Good to know," she said with a grin.

Fred held her close and said softly, "Next time you're unhappy, don't try to cover it up. Come talk to me." He grinned and kissed her nose. "Lying is unhealthy for you."

Hermione laughed. "When I'm around you, it is!"

Fred glanced down at her and smirked. "I just have one last question," he teased.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow. "_Fire_ away," she teased back.

"Am I a good kisser?"

Hermione smirked. "No," she said confidently.

Right on cue, her robes burst into flames.

Both Fred and Hermione laughed as he pulled her close. Just as he lowered his mouth to hers, he whispered, "Liar, liar, robes on fire!"

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**A/N: I really hope you guys enjoyed this! Perhaps it brought a smile to someone's face! :D Please review if it did!!**


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